Comments on “Is It Time To Retire the Hybrid Atomic Orbital?”

A recent contribution to this Journal advocates the retirement of hybrid atomic orbitals based on premises such as “significant experimental evidence and theoretical ... indicate that hybrid orbitals do not exist and do not appropriately describe molecular bonding” and the like. Critical analysis, which includes a detailed examination of the photoelectron spectrum of methane, reveals these premises to be ill founded and inconsistent with modern electronic structure analyses. Placed in a modern context, the hybrid orbital concept helps to familiarize students with the methods of working chemists, foster construction of a deeper, more interconnected understanding of chemistry and its connection to the laws of nature, and provides a secure foundation for more advanced chemistry classes.